unpleasant incident with security guard

[rasputinsghost]

I would just like your opinions with respect to whether or not I was reasonable to e-mail a complaint regarding the incident below.

I was shopping with my adult son at our local large supermarket, in the late afternoon in the middle of the week. We chose items worth just under five pounds, and I paid for these at the self-service checkout, using the contactless app. on my debit card. I declined a receipt and I do not have a banking app. on my phone.

After purchasing the goods, I handed them to my son and went to the loo. When I came out of the loo, I found my son in conversation with the security guard. The guard asked me if the shopping was mine. I said it was. He asked me if I had the receipt. I said I had declined the receipt. He asked my if I had any proof of purchase. I said that I did not have a banking app, but I waited until I heard 'payment confirmed' before I left the checkout. The guard replied that he has reason to believe we were attempting to leave the store without purchasing the goods.

I assured him that I had purchased the goods, and perhaps we could check the till roll at the checkout.

The guard then told us to come to his desk. We followed him. He looked at the CCTV footage and told us that not only did it confirm that we had not paid, but there was footage of me 'doing this hundreds of times'. He said he would call the police unless we paid for the goods, left the store and never returned because we were 'banned'.

I was getting a little upset, so my son suggested we paid for the goods again (even though we knew we had already paid). We did this, then showed the guard the receipt and I asked why he had said he had footage of me stealing 'hundreds of times'. He denied saying this. I asked if we were banned. He said no. I asked for his name and said I would lodge a complaint because he had handled this situation very unprofessionally.

When I got home, I checked my bank account. I had paid twice, so there is no way there would be any footage of me not paying. I have lodged a complaint online with the store.

I am just wondering if perhaps I have overreacted.

I’d go back to the shop with my printed statement and demand my cash back. Tell them to view the cctv which will show you paid twice for one set of goods.

I remember when I was 9 months pregnant changing my toddler in the baby changing room, I had a security guard bang on the door and demand we get out and to check our bags as he had reason to believe I was stealing. Then walked off without even an apology. I kicked up a storm and demanded to speak to the manager. I ended up getting a voucher as an apology in the end.

He should have showed you the cctv. I always get the receipt for this reason. I once had an encounter with a security guard who seemed to like the power that came with his job. I got a whole load of vouchers in apology as he was completely in the wrong! Email the store a screenshot of your payments and complain.

I work in a supermarket they and I’ve seen some very aggressive guards come and go over the years so I can totally understand why you felt intimidated actually, some seem to use their job as a way to bully and feel powerful I think. However now you have proof that you paid twice I would 100% go back to the store and complain, making sure you speak to the actual store manager and not a duty manager etc. or even send a written complaint to the head office.

For anyone reading this, if you’re ever stopped by a security guard in this sort of way, film it. Their face, their SIA licence (they must have that on display when working) and the whole interaction. Don’t let them cover it up or hide their name.

Likewise with the cops - get them to ID themselves. They must tell you their shoulder number, name and what station they work at. Don’t accept this “you can see my number” response they give. They need to verbalise it. Film everything, always.

theyve got to stop this reduce waste just give the receipt

ive heard sainsburys always stop people coming out of self chckout to see peoples receipts

you should have asked for the manager not paid again-do go back in complain

Multiply up all the receipts not printed and it’s a tidy saving for the supermarkets.

I wonder if the ‘seen you doing it many times’ is a case of mistaken identity. My husband once wanted to return a faulty item and they refused to take it back, said that he must have caused the damage and also ‘your wife returns something here every week, you people keep buying stuff, use it for a week and then return it’. Neither one of us had ever returned anything in this store.

I'm another saying that there's more to it.

I had a brain fail a couple of years ago when I was going through a tough time, and got halfway home and thought I might not have paid for the shopping. With contactless it's so easy to do/not do, plus you need to check it's gone through and I normally get a receipt but for some reason I didn't. I couldn't have told you whether I'd paid or not.

So I drove back, and explained. They couldn't check on the till, which I'd thought they would be able to do, but they were absolutely adamant that I could not pay twice. I could return the stuff, if I wanted, but they could not let me pay again.
They were happy for me to go home and return the next day to pay if I hadn't paid.

Eventually I got dh (home) to phone the bank, who confirmed that a payment from Sainbury's had gone through that evening, and we parted with friendly words.

They were lovely through the whole session; I just felt a bit of an idiot. :)

Well yes. And if true why wasn’t she already banned?

Wasn’t boots was it? There was an OP recently complaining about being banned from boots by the security guard who told her he had footage of her stealing loads of times, she was sure she hadn’t been shop lifting…

Very odd.

It annoys me so much you get the option to decline a receipt but then get challenged for a receipt. It happened to me before with baby formula but luckily had my Apple Watch on and the payment popped up.

THIS

Is this a wind up? No fucking way would I pay twice, I'd call the police myself.

Why did you pay twice? You knew you'd paid.

Their machines don't automatically issue receipts, their problem.

If I were in this situation, I'd just tell him I'd paid, walk off and then most likely complain that he was targeting a young lad.

As a parent of teens, I hate the way they the
pick on young people.

Always get your receipt.
It's happened to me before now. I certainly would not of paid twice.

Same. I would have called his bluff. Said get the manager get the police. Knowing that it would be proven that the shopping had been paid for and he was telling terrible lies about you stealing on more then one occasion.
He was obviously on a power trip.

Whatever happened to ‘innocent until proven guilty’? That security guard was totally out of order. Lesson learned on your part……NEVER decline a receipt!

"I do not react well to confrontation."

But there was no need at the beginning for it to be a 'confrontation'. The security guard asked for proof of payment. All you needed to do was say 'sorry, I didn't take a receipt, please would you have the till roll checked.'

Then if he started to be difficult it would be time to ask for a manager to be called to help. And just quietly repeat that request until the manager showed up, or the guard got fed up and let you go, regardless of what claims the guard makes regarding CCTV or banning, or other such nonsense.

Always remain polite and keep yourself calm - being sure to speak slowly and quietly helps.

If anyone offers to call the police, it's a good idea to accept the offer. If they change their minds offer to call them yourself. I wouldn't be surprised if that made them back off. Presumably the first question the police would ask is 'what's on the till roll?'

But, in future, you could avoid all this faff by simply taking the till receipt or having a banking app on your phone. And nipping into the loo is, unfortunately, a tactic often used by shoplifters, so it's likely to arouse suspicion.

Would there be anything about you that would cause the security guard to be prejudiced towards you? It just seems too strange and aggressive.

Do not let this drop.

I always get a receipt as this is my fear

No he wasn't because he lied! Twice!

I'd have told him to show me the evidence or get the police to come in if he was trying to extract money from you. I hope you get reimbursed, I'd definitely speak to my bank about cancelling the second tx

I always request a receipt. Sometimes I go back in the shop after purchasing stuff so I don’t want to be accused of not paying for items already in my bag. There is no way I would have paid twice. If you feel the security guy abused his power then contact SIA - I’ve recently made a complaint to them myself.

I wouldn't be able to log on to my online banking on my phone because it wouldn't autofill the long reference number like it does on my laptop and I have no idea what it is!

I'd have insisted that they check the transactions at the till though. And then demanded an apology!

And BTW you really don't need a receipt, ever, if you are using the Lidl app or something like a Nectar card. The data will all be there.

Not the case for Nectar unfortunately.

I assumed it worked the same way as Lidl, Sparks, or John Lewis, where the whole transaction is stored if you have used your loyalty card. But I had to take something back to Sainsbury’s where h had lost my receipt and they said Nectar doesn’t store any transaction info.

Thanks for the info. I admit to making an assumption!